Vriesea lindl. 
Deplarly.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Vriesea plant, botanically known as Vriesea lindl. hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name xe2x80x98Deplarlyxe2x80x99.
The new cultivar originated from a cross made in a controlled breeding program in Kudelstaart, The Netherlands. The female and male parents are unknown. xe2x80x98Deplarlyxe2x80x99 was selected as a single plant from a group of plants of several lots of seedlings some 15 years ago. xe2x80x98Deplarlyxe2x80x99 was discovered and selected by the joint inventors, Jan Bunnik and Siegfried Bunnik, as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Kudelstaart, The Netherlands.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by vegetative means, by tissue culture was first performed in 1996 in Belgium and has demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for the new cultivar are firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction. The new cultivar reproduces true to type.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be basic characteristics of xe2x80x98Deplarlyxe2x80x99, which in combination distinguish this Vriesea as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. The inflorescence is red with yellow toward the margins of the bracts, and is about 32-35 cm in total height in a 11 cm pot;
2. Each inflorescence has about 9-10 branches, each about 8-12 cm long;
3. Branching starts very low on the stem;
4. The branches are compact and are about 4.5 to 6.4 cm in width;
5. Abundant medium green foliage in a dense rosette;
6. A thick stem about 10-14 mm in diameter;
7. Compact leaves about 20 cm long and 4 to 4.5 cm in width.
xe2x80x98Deplarlyxe2x80x99 has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype of the new cultivar may vary significantly with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity, and day length without any change in the genotype of the plant. The following observations, measurements and values describe the new cultivar as grown in Kudelstaart, The Netherlands under conditions which closely approximate those generally used in commercial practice.
Of the many commercial cultivars known to the present inventor, the most similar in comparison to xe2x80x98Deplarlyxe2x80x99 is cultivar xe2x80x98Tiffanyxe2x80x99 (unpatented). xe2x80x98Deplarlyxe2x80x99 has shorter but slightly wider leaves which measure 14-16 cm in length and about 4 to 4.5 cm in width, whereas the leaves of xe2x80x98Tiffanyxe2x80x99 measure 17-19 cm in length and about 3.5 to 4 cm in width. The color of the upper surface of the leaves of xe2x80x98Deplarlyxe2x80x99 is RHS 137 A, and the under side is RHS 137 B. The leaves of xe2x80x98Tiffanyxe2x80x99 are slightly darker. The leaves of xe2x80x98Deplarlyxe2x80x99 are less susceptible to leaf spickling than the leaves of xe2x80x98Tiffanyxe2x80x99. The leaves of xe2x80x98Tiffanyxe2x80x99 droop significantly more than the leaves of xe2x80x98Deplarlyxe2x80x99. The inflorescence of xe2x80x98Deplarlyxe2x80x99 branches more bracts, about 9-10, than the inflorescence of xe2x80x98Tiffanyxe2x80x99, which branches about 4-5. The inflorescence of xe2x80x98Deplarlyxe2x80x99 starts producing branches at the bottom of the stem, contrary to inflorescence of xe2x80x98Tiffanyxe2x80x99 which branches about 5-9 cm from the bottom of the stem. The shape of the branches also differ. The branch shape of xe2x80x98Deplarlyxe2x80x99 is more compact with a flatter top than the branch shape of xe2x80x98Tiffanyxe2x80x99. The branches of xe2x80x98Deplarlyxe2x80x99 are about 8-12 cm in length and 4.5-6.5 in width, whereas the branches of xe2x80x98Tiffanyxe2x80x99 are about 11-13 cm in length and 4.5-5 cm in width. xe2x80x98Deplarlyxe2x80x99 has red-brown, RHS 46 A, bracts with yellow-orange, closest to RHS 17 A) tips and the center bract has a large yellow-green spot, RHS 150 B. xe2x80x98Tiffanyxe2x80x99 has mainly red bracts, RHS 45 A, with yellow-orange, closest to RHS 11 A tips, with a sharper transition to yellow than xe2x80x98Deplarlyxe2x80x99. The stem color of xe2x80x98Deplarlyxe2x80x99 is RHS 46 A, and the stem color of xe2x80x98Tiffanyxe2x80x99 is RHS 46 B.